Page 24 - The Prophet Moses (pbuh)

THE PROPHET MOSES (PBUH)

grant him peace) who said "Everything is by decree—even incapacity and
ability" (Muslim)
A deeper consideration of these incidents will allow us to have a bet-
ter grasp of how every moment of our lives is bound within our destiny.
Through numerous examples, the Prophet Moses' (pbuh) story allows one
to contemplate the meaning and implications of his destiny. In the various
details of the story of the Prophet Moses (pbuh), Allah reminds us that an
individual's life, as well as the lives of all mankind and the whole universe,
are bound within the destiny he has ordained.
Just as how the Prophet Moses (pbuh) floated on the Nile in compli-
ance with his destiny Allah preordained for him, so were Pharaoh and his
family made to reach the place where they were to encounter the Prophet
Moses (pbuh). From the verses related to this subject, we learn that
Pharaoh's family had behaved exactly as was previously revealed to the
Prophet Moses' (pbuh) mother, that is, they had taken the Prophet Moses
(pbuh) under their care without being aware of what the future would hold
for them:
The family of Pharaoh picked him up so that he might be an enemy
and a source of grief to them. Certainly Pharaoh and Haman and
their troops were in the wrong. The wife of Pharaoh said, "A source
of delight for me and for you; do not kill him. It may well be that he
will be of use to us or perhaps we could adopt him as a son." They
were not aware. (Surat al-Qasas: 8-9)
And thus Pharaoh and his family, utterly unaware of what Allah preor-
dained for them, found the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and adopted him as their
own son. In fact, they had decided to keep him in the hope that the child
would some day be of some benefit to them.
In the meantime, the Prophet Moses' (pbuh) mother was concerned
about her son since she did not know what had happened to him. In the
Qur'an the state of the Prophet Moses' (pbuh) mother after putting him in
the chest and Allah's revelation to her is related as follows:
"Go after him." And she kept an eye on him from afar and they were
not aware. We first made him refuse all wet-nurses, so she (Moses'

22